Walk the Walk (Chalk the Chalk)

Hi everyone!

I am finally ready to show you how my chalk painted wing back chair turned out.  If you remember, I had an old burgundy wing back chair that we use in our master bedroom. For awhile, I've been wanting to replace it with something that went better with our color scheme.  

But here's the thing:  this chair was in good condition, it is sequestered away in our master bedroom where only the two of us see it and I would rather spend my $ on other things if I can figure out a way to make things work.  I had read that people have had success with painting upholstered furniture with chalk paint, so I figured why not give it a try?  

A quick trip to WalMart and I was back in a flash with two bottles of Waverly Chalk paint in Crimson and a hand full of foam sponge brushes.  And just like that, I dove in!

Here you can see the chair cushion, still with most of the original burgundy color.  I figured the nubby, flame stitched fabric would be a good candidate for painting, as there would be a lot of forgiveness if the paint didn't cover evenly. The first few brush strokes were a tad scary, I have to admit.

I did two coats thinned down with about 25% water.  The last coat was full strength. Around the seams, I had to really dab and apply the paint heavily for the paint to get into all of the crevices.

I also worked under the every watchful eye of my pal, Palmer...

As you can see, he is not a very good supervisor and ended up wearing some chalk paint for a few days! (You can see the shame in his eyes, can't you?)

And, yet, he perseveres!

And ta da!  The finished product!  The fabric started out just a bit stiff, but over time it has softened and does not feel painted.  The coverage is even and also, most importantly, does not look painted.  It looks great in our room.

It has been about five months or so since I painted this chair and it still looks perfect.  I am thinking of giving it a new coat of paint this summer - a faux leather maybe.  I think the fabric would be perfect for that.

In the meantime, I will enjoy my "new" chair a bit longer.

 Closing thoughts:

1. Painting an old chair that was just headed to Goodwill anyway is a great idea - what do you have to lose?
2. I would recommend two watered down coats and a third full strength coat of paint for a smooth, even coverage.
3.  Would I do it over again?  Oh yeah, and I will!!! Soon!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

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Color My World (Kitchen Chair Reveal)

 Hi Everyone!

I am finally going to share how my chalk painted kitchen chairs turned out.  It has been a long time!!!  As I was painting them, I shared with you that this was my first attempt at chalk paint and because of the original finish of my chairs, it was neither a fun or easy process.  In the end, however, they turned out EXACTLY as I have envisioned !  I am really liking the brighter change.

As you can see, the main body of the chairs are all creamy white, with a dark wax over top.  The decorative chair backs each received a different chalk paint to coordinate with the different colors I use throughout the main floor of our home.

  Here is a  before photo of the chairs before their re-do.  The black lacquer finish was such a pain in the pa-toot - look at all those hand prints! I could never win the war with these chairs.

And here is one of the chairs in it's new paint job and fabric seat.  The fabric is outdoor grade so it will withstand any mishaps or spills. (I hope!)

I still have one more chair to finish, but that one I am simply going to paint all in the creamy color - including the decorative area. Even for me, five colors might be a little too much! I am also going to be taking down the dreadful vertical blinds on the kitchen patio door very soon and re-hang my Pottery Barn panels.  We had hoped the blinds would help our dog with his thunderstorm/lightning anxiety, but it has not....so back to pretty instead.

Just putzing around the house today - cleaning and getting things done for the week before I head off to work tomorrow.  How about you? What's up?

Thanks for stopping by,

Jane

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Chair by Chair: The Update

Hi Everyone,

This chair thing is really taking a whole lot longer than I had planned.  This is my first foray into chalk paint, and I will tell you that I pretty much hate don't like it.  At all.  These babies would have been done long ago with traditional paint, with a nicer finish I think.  But........after some tweaking, the chairs are coming along and are going to be just great once they are done.  Whenever. That. Might. Be.

Let me say: don't believe a word of the no prep!! Not true. At least not for me.  I cleaned and sanded my pieces, as they were a very shiny, factory finish. The paint still would not adhere.  Luckily, I started with just the one panel.  After I sanded my first attempt off, I gave the chairs a coat of primer.

Now we're cooking with gas and the paint is staying on beautifully.  My main motivator for chalk paint originally was the no prep tantalizer, so that was disappointing to find out that I had to do just as much prep (and a lot more work) as if I was spraying them. Perhaps if my chairs had a different finish to start, things would have been different.  

Here is one  chair with a coat of primer, and a coat of chalk paint.  They have been taking 2 1/2 coats to get a nice finish.

And now - drum roll please - I told you I would be using all the of the paint colors I showed you in a previous post, just not in the way you would expect.  Here is a glimpse of what I did (bear in mind that most need a second coat, or were in the processing of being waxed when I took these photos:

I still have one more color to use, and the fifth chair will be left white. I have waxed the chairs with several coats of clear wax and I am pretty sure I will be using dark wax on just the colored portion of the chairs - the floral carving will pick up the dark wax quite nicely, and the colors will be slightly toned down.

Personally, I am loving the color combo!  I can't wait to get the upholstered seats re-fastened to the chairs and finish things up so I can share the finished product.

That's my update for now.  I am {this close} to being done.

Hope your weekend is going along great!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

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Labor Day Happenings

Hi Everyone,

Just stopping by to show you a glimpse of what Mr. Bluebird & I will be working on this weekend.

The kitchen chair seats are getting a facelift with the pretty new fabric I showed you here.

Two are already finished - such an easy thing to do!  I love that the new fabric is outdoor rated, it should be easy to keep clean and will stay fresh looking for awhile.

We are also painting the kitchen chairs, which are currently black.  They are getting a chalk paint re-do and yes, I am using every one of the paint colors I showed you here. EVERY SINGLE ONE.

Even the much maligned "Bordello" shown in the picture below.  I actually love this color on the chair even more than in the pot.  And it is a beautiful complement to the chair fabric.

Have no fear!  The paint is being used in a surprising way.  Two chairs are already started and I am pretty darned sure I am going to like love it!  Hope the weekend will end with this project being done.  Mr. Bluebird has some golf to get in, so that remains to be seen.

Wishing you all a wonderful Labor Day!  I, for one, am grateful for the wonderful job I have and feel very lucky to work with great people!

Wishing you happiness,
Jane